Coupling device



J. F. LAMB AND G. A. HUME.

COUPLING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED sEPT.22, Iszo.

1,435,482., Patented Nov. 14,1922` 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1I 28 I l' l IIIIMW.

fIIIIIIWIl ""II'IWI...

.|. F. LAMB AND G. A. HUME.

COUPLING DEV-ICE.

APPLICATION man sspmz, 1920.

1,435,482, Patented Nov. 14, i922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mm mE Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

, Urfa arr f EN JOSEPH F. LAMB AND GEORGE A. HUME, NEW BRITAIN,CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK, OF NEW BRITAIN',CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 0F CONNECTICUT.

, coUPLING DEVICE.

Application ined september 251920. vseriaina v41"1,994."

To @ZZ whom t may concern: y l

` Beit known that we, JOSEPH F. LAMB and GEORGE v A. l-lUME, citizens ofthe United States, residing at New Britaimcounty of Hartford,j and Stateof Connecticut, have inventeda certainnew and useful Improve.

nient in Coupling Devices, of which the following is a fullwclear, andexactv descrip*- tion.

Our invention Irelates to a new and' improved coupling device and hasfor its ob ject to provide a'simple and efficient mechanism forconnecting a rotatable shaft with a rotating element and fordisconnecting the same while it is rotating in either direction andholding in a predetermined position when so disconnected, the connectionand disconnection being accomplished by a bolt ycarried by the drivenmember.

It further has for its object to provide a coupling and uncouplingdevice comprising .a bolt and a controller therefor so:` that the boltwill be positively retracted by the revolution of the driven member ineither direction to uncouple it from the driving member. 1t further hasfor its object to provide 4a controller which will act to retract thebolt and also act to stop the driven member and hold it frommovement ineither direction as soon as it is uncoupled. Y

Our invention is particularly applicable to washing machines for thepurpose of coupling and uncoupling the cylindrical.

drum from the source of power when den 'sired 4rl`he following is adescription of our in- .ventionfreference being had to the'accompanyingdrawings, in which-.

F ig. 1 shows a side elevation of the upper portion of a washingvmachine in which our coupling device is employed;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the axis of the driven shaft;

v Fig. 4 `is a vertical sectionon the line 4 4 of Fig. 3;

the parts Figs. 5 and 6 are an end and side elevation surfaces 25whichare engaged by the roundof a controlling member for retracting the'bolt' y Fig. 7 is a detail view of a disc and means carried thereby forconnecting it to a rotating member shown in dots;

Fig. 8 is lan enlarged member.

detaily of a stop dlev The plunger 24 isprovided with a Referring moreparticularly to the drawings, 1 1s a side wally of ,a tub of a washingmachlne 2 is a, bearing secured thereto vby screws acapped plate r3.. f4is a shaft in saidfbearing having' a head 5 integral therevith and aterminal piece 6 secured by a pin 1 andkhavlnga lateral projection 8adapted to engage a corresponding recess in the head of `the f drumcylinder.` Rotatably `mounted upon theshaft 4 isa gear' .9 driven by aloeveledplnion 10, carried by a shaft 11, supported in a bushing 12. Theshaft 11-is continuously driven by any suitable power such,

for instance, asanelectric motor.- The gear l .rounded by the spring .17and enters a hole the bolt 16 so as to guide and retain the same. Thebolt 16 has a rounded projection `20 or abutment which when theboltextends into the opening 13 projectsfinto the groove 15.. Upon eachside'of the bolt 16 are spring `dogs 21,21, normally held in elevatedposition. by .springs 22, as shown in F ig. 4.

vThese dogsvlie in parallel grooves formed .inthe rear face of the disc14, their lower ends extending into a recess 23 of a greater depththanthe parallel lgrooves in ywhich the dogs lie. The dogs havelateralextensions 21'EL whichengage the' uppermost surface of the recess23y and act to limit the upward vmovements of the dogs'21, 21. y The`yoke 18 4has feevz'wlfiich are secured to the disc 14 by bolts whichfeet partially cover the parallel grooves in which the dogs 21, 21, lieso as to.

retain the dogs insaid grooves.

Inorder to controlthe'bolt so as toreftract it and withdraw its end fromthe opening 13 when desired without reference to the direction ofmovement, we provide the plunger 24 having oppositely slanting cani edsurface .20 as the disc 14 revolvesin one direction or the other so thatthe bolty V16 is 'retracted thereby. This plunger is moved into and outof operative position by a lever 26 fulcrumed at 27 and having yahanlateral'extension 29 which extends into the path of the ends of thedogs 21, 21, so that when those dogs approach the projection 29 thedog'l which is in advance kengages the same and is forced inwardthereby, Apassing under the projection 29 and thereafter rising tonormal position. rlhe other dog'th'en advancing engages the projection 29 and is stopped thereby. The projection 29 then lies between the twodogs and holds the disc 14 with the shaft 4 kagainst rotation in eitherdirection and therefore holds the drum of the washing machine in y,apredeterniined position. fn this way, the drum can be stopped in alpredetermined position and if the door is uppermost, the drumwillalways be stopped with the door uppermost and held in that position.

The operation of the device is as follows.

The wheel 9 is constantly revolved by 'the rotating shaft 11 and thebeveled pinion 10 secured thereto. lf the bolt 16v is within the recess13, as shown in Fig. 2, which is the case whenever the plunger24 israised by the handle 28 and lever 26, the wheel 9 will cause the disc14'and shaft 4 to revolve. If itis desired to stop the shaft 4, thehandle 28, shown in Fig. 1, is moved to the right, which causes the head4of the plunger 24 to enter the groove lapso that the cam surfaces25,125, lie in the path of the rounded projection 2,0. Theengagement ofthe rounded Tto projection with one of the surfaces 25 results in theretraction of thebolt 16 so as to withdrawl it from the opening 13andthus disconnect the disc 14 from the source of power. Near the end ofthe retractin of the clutch bolt 16 onecf the'dogs 21 strikes theprojection 29, which depresses the dog to enable the dog to pass by theprojection and the projection is then engaged by the other dog to stopthe shaft in a predetermined angular position, the shaft beingthe'n heldfrom Vmovement in'either` direction by the-,projection being heldbetween the dogs, the first mentioned dog rhaving risen to its normalposition after passing by the projection. These dogs 21 arenecessary'sin'c'e otherwise the shaft l4 could be `turned by turning thewashing 'machine drum, there- .uponthe bolt 16 would be moved to aposiltion where it would be no longer controlled l by thenplungerv 24,and wouldb'e forced into the `opening 13 when' that' opening lin theycontinu'oi'isly revolving gear 9 reached the position opposite thebolt. l

When the parts9 and 14 are' not coupled together by the boltv16 and'itis desired to couple them together, the 'plunger'24 is lifted by amvement ofthe handle 28 toward the left to theposition shown-in Fig. 1withdrawing the headA of the plunger with the Irvcam surfaces 25, 25,from'the groove 15 and 'I out of the path ofthe projection 42Opermitting the bolt 16 to move into the recess 13 when that recess comesopposite the bolt. The side 3() of thegroove engaging the dat side 31 ofthe head of the plunger provides a thrust'bearing for the-head oftheplunger resistingthe thrust due to the contact of the rounded surface 2Owithv one -of the surfaces which tends to turn the plunger about itsaxis.

By making the 'head 5 integral with the shaft 4 and securing the partstogether by fastening the member v`6 -to the bolt, a very simple meansfor :assembling the gea-r9, disc 14aiid shaft 4 `in` the bearing tubecarried vby the tub 'is secured.

ils will be evident to those skilled inthe art, your invention permitsof various modifications without departingfrom the spirit thereof orthey scope of the appended claims.

fWhat we claim is1w- 1. ln a coupling device, the combination cfa shaft,a wheel revolubly mounted thereon'anfdk provided with an eccentricopening, means `for driving said wheel, a disc xed to'said shaftadjacent to said wheel, said disc havinga passage, a bolt in saidpassage adapted to entersaidope'ning insaid wheel, aspring tending-tomovel said 'bolt toward said wheel 5and into *said opening, said Ibolthaving an abutment "facing said wheel,and a fdouble faced cam adapted to'be lmoved towardandfrom the-axis 'of said disc vand when lin inwardpsition engaging saidabutment vand retracting 'said bolt from saidopening jupon inovement of said disc in either direction *and means for'moving said cam, and spring dogs on each side Aof Said bolt,u"saidcamvmember having -a portion adapted Yto be engaged by saidgdogs -andthereby lforce oneof rthem inwfardand the other acting as a stopwhensaiddisc revolves ink either direction. f

2. "ln 4'a' 4coupling device, the combination of la shaft, a'wheelrevlubly mounted thereon and provided with an' eccentric opening, meansfor driving said wheel, a disc fixed to saidshaft'adjacentto said"wheel, 'said disc 'having a passage, a bolt Ii'n"'said passage adaptedto entersaid opening in' saidwheel, `aspring tending toI movesaid bolttoward saidwheel and'intof'said opening, said bolt having anabutmentvfacing 'said'wheehand a double faced cam tadapted to be movedtoward and from the axisof vsaid disc'and when ininward positi'nengaging said abutment and retractingsaid bolt from 'said opening yuponmovement jof said disc in either direction and means for movingsaidcam,'and spring dogs on'each sideof'said bolt, said "cam member' having'a portion adapted to be engaged by said dogs'and thereby forceoneoffthem'tinward and the other"actin'gasla' stop whensaid ldi'screvolves in eitherldirectiion,a'yoke for said spring having a projectionsurrounded by said spring and entering a recess in said bolt.

3. In a coupling device, the combination of a shaft, a Wheel revolublymounted there.

on and provided with an eccentric opening, means for driving saidvvheel, a'disc fixed to `said shaft adjacent to said Wheel, said dischaving a passage parallel vto its axis andhaving also parallel grooves,a bolt in said passage adapted to enter said opening in said wheel, aspring tending to move Said bolt toward said Wheel and into said opemng,

either direction and means for moving saidl cam, and spring dogs on eachside of said bolt and in said parallel grooves, said cam member having aportion adapted to be engaged by said dogs and thereby force one of nthem inward and the other acting, as a stop when said disc revolves ineither direction,

a yoke for said spring having portions holding said dogs in place intheir parallel grooves in said disc. t y t 4. A coupling device having,in combination, rotatable driving and driven clutch member`s,1nanua1lyoperable means for connecting and disconnecting said clutch members, astop member carried byl said means out of and into,` a predeterminedposition upon actuation loi* said means to connect and disconnect saidclutch members, respectively, 7

and means cooperating With said stop member When the clutch membersl aredisconnected tov stop the driven member in a predeter-v l* 'i minedangular position` and to .lock the driven member from rotation in eitherdi? rection comprising `a pair of spaced stop dogs carried by the drivenmember arranged to engage opposite sides' of said stop member as theclutch members are disconnected.

n JOSEPH r. LAMBy i GEORGE A. HUME.

